UEFA model in identification of types, severity and mechanism of injuries among footballers in the Nigerian Women’s Premier League

Abstract

ObjectiveTo prospectively investigate the injury profile and the incidence rate per 1000 hours exposure during training and actual league matches in the Nigerian Women’s Premier League (NWPL) and to develop an adequate information pool, using the UEFA injury study model in order to develop appropriate injury prevention strategies.Methods241 women footballers from the eight football clubs that participated in the 2015/2016 Nigerian Women Premier league (NWPL) season were selected for the study and prospectively followed for a period of 6 months. The UEFA injury report forms and Competitive Aggressiveness and Anger Scale were sent to the various clubs, and the forms administered on them as at when due. The forms were analysed using descriptive statistics.ResultsThere was a high incidence rate per 1000 hours of exposure during training sessions (10.98 injuries/1000 hours) and matches (55.56 injuries/1000 hours); the predominant injury type was muscle rupture/strain injuries (35.49%), while moderate severity injuries were the most frequent. The predominant injury mechanism was traumatic injuries caused by contact with other players as a result of a tackle by other players (14.5%). No statistical association was established between the level of aggression and the prevalent types of injury (p=0.63).ConclusionsThe organisers of the league and indeed the referees should ensure that the rules of the game are upheld, and foul or overly aggressive play is penalised. Medical staff and coaches should consider evidence-based injury prevention strategies to reduce the risk of the common injuries sustained in the NWPL.

Injuries in elite‐level women’s football—a two‐year prospective study in the Irish Women’s National League

“…Our results are in the lower range of time-loss match (12.5-55.5/1000 h) and training (1.4-10.9/1000 h) IIRs reported in other elite-level women's football injury surveillance studies. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]15 Our finding that players, on average, incurred 0.69 injuries per season (approximately 15 injuries per season for a squad of 22 players) is lower than the 1-2 injuries per player per season reported in elite-level women's football in Sweden. 12 It is possible that the professional and semi-professional status of the players in the Swedish League may have led to the higher rate of injuries.…”

“…This concurs with the findings reported in other elite-level women's football injury surveillance studies. [4][5][6][7][9][10][11][12]15,20 The three most common injury locations in our two-season study were the ankle (24.4%), the knee (21.8%) and the thigh (19.2%) (Table 5). Some previous studies on elite-level female players have reported that the ankle was the most common injury location 7,9,15 , while others have reported that the knee was the most common injury location.…”

“…Previous elite-level women's football injury surveillance studies have reported a 3.5 to 13 times higher match IIR compared to training IIR. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]15 It is possible that the injury recording systems used in the different studies may have influenced this ratio. Jacobson and Tegner 10 used team leaders to record injuries, while most other studies have used medical personnel, with the exception of Nilstad et al 8 whereby players self-reported injuries via text message.…”

“…Several prospective injury surveillance studies have been undertaken in women's national leagues in Germany, Belgium/Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago and the USA. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] These studies report timeloss match injury incidence rates (IIRs) ranging from 12.5 to 55.5/1000 h and time-loss training IIRs ranging from 1.4 to 10.9/1000 h. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]15 The lower extremity is the most commonly injured body region in elite-level female players, with knee, ankle, and thigh injuries having the highest IIRs. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]15 Player welfare has been an integral component of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) Strategic Plan (2016 -2020).…”

“…[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14] These studies report timeloss match injury incidence rates (IIRs) ranging from 12.5 to 55.5/1000 h and time-loss training IIRs ranging from 1.4 to 10.9/1000 h. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]15 The lower extremity is the most commonly injured body region in elite-level female players, with knee, ankle, and thigh injuries having the highest IIRs. [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]15 Player welfare has been an integral component of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) Strategic Plan (2016 -2020). 16 The protection of player health and the prevention of football-related illnesses and injuries are a primary focus for the FAI, with women's football a key pillar of the Strategic Plan (2016 -2020).…”